Illuminating device for portable receptacles



March 17, 1942. A. CONRAD ILLUMINATING DEVICE FOR PORTABLE RECEPTACLESFiled July 24, 1940 Patented Mar. 17, 1942 ILLUDIIN ATIN G DEVICE FORPORTABLE RECEPTACLE S Application July 24, 1940, Serial No. 347,285 InGermany June 5, 1939 4 Claims.

This invention relates to an illuminating device intended to be usedespecially in connection with ladies bags, but also with other portablereceptacles, such as boxes and trunks, portfolios, and the like.

The device is so designed that of two incandescent lamps, one isintended to illuminate the neighbourhood outside the bag and either lampcan be switched on by means of a changeover switch combined preferablywith a rosette or another decorative member attached to one of the outersurfaces of the respective article. The lamp intended for the interiorillumination is housed in a casing detachably secured to one of theinner walls of the bag and the other lampV extends through an apertureso as to be able to throw its light outwardly. Said casing contains alsothe change-over switch, as well as a dry battery element for supplyingthe lamps with current.

The invention is illustrated diagrammatically and by way of example onthe accompanying drawing in which the illuminating device is shownapplied to a ladys bag and Figure 1 is a vertical transverse sectionthrough the entire arrangement and combination of the parts thereof,Figure 2 is a horizontal section in the line II-II of Fig. 1, and Figure3 a vertical section in the line III-III of Fig. 1.

Referring to Fig. 1, there is shown at one of the side walls of the bag,to the inner surface of which a casing h is attached which is normallyclosed by a cover h1. Enclosed in said casing are the dry batteryelement e, the two incandescent lamps b and b1, and the switch t, bymeans of which the one or the other lamp can be switched into thecircuit of the battery element. The switch consists of a sleeve spenetrating the wall l of the bag and of an outer ring s1 designed as anornamental rosette or the like and being knurled at its rim and servingat the same time for holding a lens i closing the sleeve s and coveringthe lamp b. At the inner end of the sleeve is a ange s2 having fourcircularly curved cams I, II, III and IV forming between them fournotches. Two of the notches located diametrically opposite one anotherare engaged by lugs n forming parts of an annular sheet-metal disk msituated between the ilange s2 and the neighbouring wall portion of thecasing h. This disk m engages a sheet-metal tongue p4 which isconductively connected with the socket of the lamp b1. This socketprojects downwardly beyond the lower wall of the casing and embraces thelamp b1 with a cup lc. Two oppositely located curved cams, for instance,I and III, are comparatively flat, whereas the other two II and IV arehigher, and the ends coming first in the direction of rotation of theswitch (see the arrow in Fig. 3) are somewhat oblique, whereas the otheror rear ends are steeply sloping, whereby the sleeve s can be turned bythe rosette only in the directionl of said arrow, while on turning it inthe reverse direction a thread connecting the sleeve s and the rosettes1 with one another will be unscrewed.

In the position of the switch as shown inFig. 3 a sheet-metal tongue p1engages the notch between the curved cams I and IV. The ton-gue p1 isconductively connected with the left-hand pole of the battery element.The right-hand pole of the battery e is conductively connected with atongue p2, which engages the middle contact of the lamp b. In theposition shown in Fig. 3 the circuits of both lamps are open. If theswitch is turned by one fourth of a circle the lug n which had been theuppermost one arrives below the tongue p1. Owing to the elevation of thecam I being only slight the tongue p1 is only slightly lifted by saidcam so that the tongue p1 does not contact with a disk c provided on thesocket of the lamp b. In this position the circuit of the lower lamp b1is closed through the left-hand pole of the battery element, the tonguep1, the lug n, the disk m and the tongue p4 which engages the rearsurface of the disk m, the socket of the lamp b1, the middle contact ofthe lamp b1 and the tongue p3 which is connected to the right-hand poleof the battery element.

If the switch is further turned, the high elevation cam II arrives belowthe tongue p1 whereby rst the contact between this tongue and the lug nis broken. Besides, the tongue p1 engages the disk c and thereby thelamp b is inserted in the battery circuit. The disk c is provided with ashort threaded neck screwed upon the socket of the lamp b.

If the switch is still further rotated until the tongue p1 engages thenext notch, both lamps are disconnected from the battery element e. Onlyon turning the switch again by will a lug n of the disk m arrive belowthe tongue p1 whereby the circuit containing the lower lamp will beclosed, whereas if the rotation of the switch is still continued a highelevation cam (IV) arrives below the tongue p1, whereby the lamp b1 willbe disconnected from the battery element e and the lamp b will beconnected therewith.

I. claim:

l. An illuminating arrangement for portable receptacles comprising, acasing within the receptacle and secured thereto, a battery elementWithin the casing, a rotatable sleeve extending from the casing througha wall of the receptacle, an incandescent lamp bulb mounted within saidsleeve, a second incandescent lamp bulb carried by the casing forilluminating the interior of the receptacle, switch means within thecasing actuated upon rotation of said sleeve, and circuits extendingfrom the battery element -to the incandescent lamp bulbs through saidswitch means whereby the lamp bulbs may be energized by rotating saidsleeve to actuate the switch means.

2. An illuminating arrangement for portable receptacles comprising, acasing detachably mounted Within the receptacle and secured thereto, abattery element within the casing, a rotatable sleeve extending througha wall of the casing and through a wall of the receptacle, a lamp bulbmounted within the casing to project light ray-s outwardly through thesleeve, a lens closing the sleeve outside the receptacle, an ornamentalmember secured to the sleeve outside the receptacle for rotating thesleeve, a second lamp bulb mounted on the casing for illuminating theinterior of the receptacle, a switch Within the casing driven byrotation of said sleeve, .and circuits extending from the batteryelement to said lamp bulbs through said switch whereby the lamp bulbsmay be energized by rotating said ornamental member to complete thecircuits to said lamp bulbs from the battery element.

3. An illuminating device for portable receptacles comprising, a casingwithin the receptacle and removably attached thereto, a battery withinthe casing, a rotatable sleeve extending from the casing through a Wallof the receptacle, a lamp bulb mounted to project light rays through thesleeve, an electrical conductive disk engaging a terminal of the lampbulb and supporting the same in said sleeve, a conductor engaging asecond terminal of the lamp bulb and connected to the battery, aiiexible conductor connected to the battery terminating adjacent saiddisk, a cam carried by said sleeve for moving the flexible conductorinto engagement with said disk whereby the lamp bulb may be energizedupon rotation of said sleeve.

4. An illuminating arrangement for a portable receptacle comprising, acasing within the receptacle and secured thereto, a battery elementwithin the casing, a rotatable sleeve extending through a wall of thecasing and a wall of the receptacle, means outside of said receptaclefor rotating the sleeve, a lam'p bulb' carried by the casing forilluminating the interior of the receptacle, a conductive disk carriedby said sleeve, a conductor extending from a terminal of the lamp'andengaging said disk, a second conductor extending from another terminalof the lamp engaging a terminal of the battery element, a ilexibleconductor extending from another terminal of the battery element andterminating adjacent said disk, and a cam electrically connected to saiddisk for engaging said exible conductor upon rotation of the sleeve.

ALFRED CONRAD.

